Summary

Content: Pull Movement (sideways movement)

Pull Movement

Woohoo, the next part of sideways movements is here! As we focused on kneesteps last time, we want to focus on another sideways movement this time. The pull movement needs less leg muscles and balance than the push movement and is basically the opposite of it. If you take a look at every kind of hockey, you’ll see that this movement only exists in floorball. You can slide a wide range with it if trained well, but it also has its disadvantages.

We suggest being on your toes, as you can put more power in the movement

Movement

Lift your right knee from the floor

Turn the whole leg to the right side without lifting your foot

If you want to perform a straight movement to the right side, the angle between your legs should be about 90 degrees. The angle changes depending on if you move more forward (< 90 degrees) or even backwards (>90 degrees). Here you can find a proper movement to go straight forward and here another one to go sideways forward.

Your torso is always pointed to the field – do not minimize the size of your body during the movement

The whole strength of the movement comes from the set up leg, the other leg just slides

You can use the left leg to minimize the fifth hole during the slide, but be aware that this affects your balance

If you want to move backwards, you need a lot of flexibility in your groin or turn your body

You are generating what we call the sixth hole

Movement to opposite direction needs more time, as you are less flexible on your legs

The Sixth Hole
In the pictures below you can see the usual five holes when a goalie is in the correct initial position and what happens when you perform the pull movement. For a very short time the sixth hole (yellow) occurs and the fifth hole (light blue) becomes bigger. Even though this is just for a short amount of time, it is still dangerous. Flat shots can go in underneath your leg or through the now bigger fifth hole. The sixth hole itself shows that you are basically not fully in position.

Summary
It is up to you when you want to perform this movement. The floor can make a huge impact, e.g. if it’s slippery, sticky, hard or soft. You personally have to find out when you want to use this kind of movement. As a little help you can think about the sixth hole and when it causes the most danger to you. We recommend not to use it when there is trouble in the slot, as you cover less of the goal because you have to lift your leg. In our opinion knee steps are better in situations like these, as it is easier for you to block low shots.